Hockey’s the thing for Gierer women

COLUMBUS, GA – It’s game night at the Columbus Civic Center and amid the bustle and chaos that is the Columbus Cottonmouths office, a loud female voice pierces the chatter with a simple yet forceful request: “Can we stop counting the burgers for a minute?” At the same time, up in the stands, the local beat writer is settling in, notebook in hand, for yet another crucial end-of-season game between the Cottonmouths and the Richmond Renegades. Under normal circumstances, the two scenes would have little in common. In this case, however, they are linked both by a love for the game and by blood, literally. You see, the voice belongs to Columbus Director of Community Relations Lindsey Gierer and the beat writer just happens to be her mother, Kathy Gierer of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper. “We’ve always been really close. I talk to her every day,” Lindsey said about working with her mother. “I think it has helped (our relationship). Obviously you have more to talk about. You get to spend more time together, even if it is just a few seconds.” The road to hockey passion for mom Kathy began in the 1970’s when her father’s business connections passed along tickets to Atlanta Flames games. She fell in love with the game and remembered that when the Cottonmouths franchise was born into the ECHL in 1996. That was when she got 12 year old Lindsey hooked. “The team came here in 1996 and really we started coming to the games because

of Bruce Garber, the original coach (of the Cottonmouths),” Lindsey said. “His wife worked with my mom at Matthews Elementary School and they gave us tickets a few times and we would always sit with them.” Eventually Lindsey left the nest and headed for Auburn University where she chose journalism as a major. She worked for the Auburn Athletic department as a media relations student assistant. It eventually led her to a intern position with the Connecticut Defenders, a double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in Norwich, Connecticut following graduation in May of 2006. Although she learned quite a bit, Lindsey is quick to admit that she now wonders how she got through that summer. “I don’t even know how I lived through that summer looking back. Basically, you have eight game home stands. When we have a home Friday and Saturday game, we work 14 hours a day two days in a row. In baseball we did that eight days in a row,” she said. “I was just an intern that summer. I did a few different mascot appearances and stuff like that. It got me prepared for here. The Cottonmouths are so well known and Jerome (Bechard, Columbus G.M./Head Coach) has made a big deal of getting them out in the community. We get two or three calls a week with people wanting players to go read (to school children) and Boomer to come to this parade and that parade. It keeps you really busy.” While her daughter was off learning the ways of pro sports, Kathy was getting the opportunity to combine her love for hockey with her abilities as a writer. Having been covering high school sports for the Ledger-Enquirer back to 1977, the paper assigned her to the Cottonmouths right around the time the franchise joined the SPHL. After the 2006 baseball season, Lindsey came back to Columbus and called Bechard who was looking for someone to handle community relations for the Cottonmouths. Over time, she was given more and more responsibility and eventually was moved into the role of media relations. Although Kathy was extremely proud of Lindsey for joining the Cottonmouths, it did cause some momentary thoughts about a conflict. Luckily, both the newspaper and the team were fine with everything and saw no problems. “When Lindsey told me she wanted to apply for the job, I told my husband that it was a no brainer. I would step aside,” Kathy said. “At that time, she did not handle the media. She was into community relations. She did the player appearances and things like that. We had permission from the paper for me to do this. I am one member of the media and even though we have the same last name, I am treated the same way.” Lindsey said that at first she thought that taking on the role of media relations and working with her mom might be difficult but once the pair agreed to leave their personal relationship at the door, everything fell into place. “When it first happened, I thought it might be difficult just because you have to keep everybody even,” Lindsey said. “There’s no favoritism. I send out the press releases and she has to contact me just like any of the television station do. She’ll email me and say ‘can I get an interview with (Kyle) Lundale on Wednesday?’ and I throw a note in the locker just like if the TV guys call. As far as the work relationship, it’s fine.” Kathy admits that on occasions she has been tempted to use her mother-daughter connection to find something out but stops short of doing so. “Of course the temptation is always there with the natural curiosity and the mom connection. When we walk in here – actually all four of us are here tonight, my husband and son are fans and she’s working and I’m working – it’s not exactly a Ward and June Cleaver situation. I always try to be aware of her position,” she said. “I always make a concerted effort to make sure our positions are kept totally separate.” When the hockey schedule allows it, Kathy and Lindseytry to make hockey road trips together. “Last season and the season before, we were fortunate that the Cottonmouths had back-to-back games in Knoxville. That was great fun because we did our other favorite things – we went shopping and we went out to eat. It was a great getaway,” Kathy said. “Lindsey and I have always shared a love of sports among the many other things that we have shared.” Lindsey said she enjoys the trips because not only are they a chance to bond but it is also an opportunity to see a game from start to finish, something that never happens at home. “It’s fun. She’s been covering the team so she is passionate about it and I am too. Going down, its more mother-daughter talk but occasionally hockey comes up but its just general talk,” Lindsey said. “I’m usually running around and she’s so intent on watching who’s on the ice, assists and who did this and that and writing everything down. It’s fun to just get away and watch, kind of step back and watch like everybody else gets to watch every night.” For his part, Bechard has been very pleased to have both Gierer women on the Cottonmouths’ side. “We’re pretty lucky actually to have both of them. They both are big hockey fans to begin with and when you have a hockey fan as your beat writer, it helps out a lot. Kathy’s really personally involved. She cares about the guys and wants to know what’s going on,” he said. “With Lindsey, her daughter, working for me, there’s very few times there’s miscommunication between the three of us. It’s quite the unique situation and we’re lucky to have both of them involved.” At the end of the day, Kathy – with her reporter’s hat off and her mom’s hat on – is very proud of what Lindsey has accomplished and her role in her daughter’s career. “As a mother, I always look at her and think of her as my little girl and she always will be. When I see her here handling everything as it comes up, going with the flow, rolling with the punches and every other cliché you can think of, it does make me very proud. I am very, very proud of my daughter and all that she has achieved,“ she said. “I’ve always said that some moms teach their daughters that icing is on a cake but my daughter knows that icing is in a rink.” And for these two southern belles, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com